Sept. 11 commission member had White House connections

February 04, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Sept. 11 commission's executive director had closer ties with the White House than publicly disclosed and tried to influence the final report in ways that the staff often perceived as limiting the Bush administration's responsibility, a new book claims. Philip Zelikow, a friend of then-national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, spoke with her several times during the 20-month investigation that closely examined her role in assessing the al-Qaida threat. He also exchanged frequent calls with the White House, including at least four from Bush's chief political adviser at the time, Karl Rove. Zelikow once tried to push through a draft report suggesting a greater tie between al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and Iraq, in line with White House claims but not with the commission staff's viewpoint, according to Philip Shenon's ''The Commission: The Uncensored History of the 9/11 Investigation,” which hits stores Tuesday. Shenon, a New York Times reporter, said Zelikow sought to intimidate staff to avoid damaging findings for President Bush and Rice. Zelikow and Rice had written a book together in 1995 and he would later work for her after the commission finished its job.